Group demands probe into deaths of 37 miners in NSCDC custody

Women in Mining Nigeria has called for an independent judicial inquiry into the deaths of 37 artisanal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State.

WIMIN, in a statement issued on Saturday, also called for independent monitoring of the autopsies of the deceased and the prosecution of anyone found responsible for negligence, abuse of power or failure of duty.

The victims were among scores of people arrested during enforcement operations on September 15 and 16 in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Minna.

It expressed condolences to the families of the deceased, particularly women who lost their sons, brothers and breadwinners, while raising concerns over reports that some of the victims were aged between 14 and 18.

WIMIN said it was concerned by reports about the conditions in which the detainees were held, following the NSCDC’s initial attribution of the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak.

“While the NSCDC initially attributed the mass casualty to an unverified “disease outbreak,” distressing accounts from survivors and intelligence reports point firmly to severe overcrowding, extreme heat, dehydration, and suffocation within a poorly ventilated facility holding up to 65 individuals in a single cell.

“Survivors recounted banging on the doors for help while their peers collapsed, requests that were tragically ignored by guards on duty,” the statement said.

The organisation said it aligned with the positions of the National Human Rights Commission and the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project that everyone, regardless of the allegations against them, was entitled to due process and the right to life.

The Founder and National President of WIMIN, Janet Adeyemi, urged the government to adopt a human-centred approach to artisanal mining.

“We cannot continue to use iron fists and lethal containment strategies against young citizens who are driven into mining pits by the sheer desperation for survival. Mining, for these teenagers and young men, is an escape from hunger and extreme hardship. It is a profound injustice to criminalise poverty.

“When the state treats the desperate quest for a livelihood as a capital offence—resulting in the suffocation and death of dozens in custody—we have failed fundamentally as a nation. The government must shift its focus from aggressive militarisation to human-centric formalisation,” Adeyemi said.

WIMIN also condemned the alleged use of force and tear gas against families and community members who protested in Minna following the deaths.

The organisation urged the Federal and Niger State governments to take immediate steps to prevent a recurrence, including an independent and transparent judicial inquiry into the incident.

It also called for the autopsies being conducted at the Minna General Hospital to be monitored by independent medical experts to ensure transparency for the families.

WIMIN demanded that anyone found culpable of negligence, failure of duty or abuse of power within the detention facility be prosecuted.

It further called on the Ministry of Interior to conduct an immediate audit of detention facilities operated by paramilitary and security agencies nationwide, with measures to address overcrowding, ventilation and emergency medical response.

The group also urged the government to shift from criminalising artisanal mining to formalising the sector.

WIMIN said formalisation should include legal frameworks, training and safer equipment.

It also called for stronger child labour protections in mining communities, educational alternatives for teenagers and adequate compensation for families affected by the deaths.